Word of Mouth blog + Whisky | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth+whisky
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Saints, scallops and scotch: a trip to Islayhttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2016/dec/02/saints-scallops-and-scotch-a-trip-to-islay
<p>OFM editor Allan Jenkins joins film-maker Howard Sooley on a fishing boat pilgrimage to the Lagavulin distillery on the Hebridean island of Islay<br></p><p>The plan was simple. To spend the first night of our Islay pilgrimage sleeping in the open on Eileach-an-Naoimh (Rock of the Saints) among the 6<sup>th</sup> century monks’ hermit cells. We had decanted our kit from the rubber dinghy, explored the island, seen the saint’s grave and watched as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2007/nov/09/usa.travel">Guy Grieve</a> from <a href="http://ethicalshellfishcompany.co.uk/">The Ethical Shellfish Company</a> anchored his fishing boat in a place of shelter. The sun shone, the sea pinks waved in the slight breeze. We looked over the still waters to Mull. We were content. Then came the midges. Insistent vicious clouds of them.</p><p>We slept that night among the diesel fumes in the tiny hold under Guy’s wheelhouse, safely off shore, insect bites and disappointment soothed by a supper of scallops and Lagavulin whisky.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2016/dec/02/saints-scallops-and-scotch-a-trip-to-islay">Continue reading...</a>Food & drinkWhiskyScotland holidaysFri, 02 Dec 2016 16:51:39 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2016/dec/02/saints-scallops-and-scotch-a-trip-to-islayPhotograph: Howard Sooley for the GuardianPhotograph: Howard Sooley for the GuardianAllan Jenkins2016-12-02T16:51:39ZHow to make the perfect Irish coffeehttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2015/mar/12/how-to-make-perfect-irish-coffee-st-patricks-day-recipe
<p>The ideal way to celebrate St Patrick’s Day or an abomination best left in the Irish theme pub? Do you use espresso or filter, plain old whiskey or added liqueur – and just how do you get the cream to float on top?</p><p>Irish coffee is one of those irredeemably naff drinks that, done well (or consumed late enough in the evening), are actually really, really nice. (See also, the pina colada, the frozen daiquiri, and almost anything containing blue curaçao.)</p><p>Its poor reputation stems from the fact that it is often a far cry from that rich blend of nutty, slightly bitter coffee, caramelly sugar and fiery whiskey that makes such a pleasing contrast to the cool, loosely whipped layer of cream on top. Mediocre coffee, cheap whiskey and bland, spray-can cream are hardly going to have the leprechauns beating your door down for a nightcap.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2015/mar/12/how-to-make-perfect-irish-coffee-st-patricks-day-recipe">Continue reading...</a>CoffeeIrish food and drinkWhiskyCocktailsFood & drinkSt Patrick's DayLife and styleThu, 12 Mar 2015 08:00:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2015/mar/12/how-to-make-perfect-irish-coffee-st-patricks-day-recipePhotograph: Felicity Cloake/GuardianPhotograph: Felicity Cloake/GuardianFelicity Cloake2015-03-12T08:00:02ZWhy we may prefer a shot of vodka to a wee dram of blended whiskyhttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/sep/23/prefer-shot-of-vodka-to-a-wee-dram-whisky-uk-sales
Industry figures show that sales of the UK’s home-grown spirit may soon be eclipsed by vodka. But the latter doesn’t have to be tasteless firewater<p>According to figures from Nielsen this week, <a href="http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2014/09/vodka-set-to-outsell-blended-whisky-in-uk/" title="">sales of vodka are set to eclipse those of blended whisky in the next four years</a>, making vodka the UK’s favourite spirit for the first time. Blended whisky sales are down 1.7% to 49.7m litres, and vodka is snapping at its heels, up 0.3% to 44.6m litres. (Regardless of its unfairly fusty, pipe-and-slippers image, whisky is a big financial deal, and makes up a quarter of British food and drink exports. Scotch whisky exports are worth £135 a second to the UK economy, and blended makes up around four-fifths of those sales. If vodka really does get the top spot, it will make a lot of people both north and south of the border rather nervous.)</p><p>Some analysts think the change is down to younger drinkers preferring the bland flavour of vodka over the complexities of whisky, but that does a disservice to both sides. Cheap and nasty blended whiskies are just as one-note as a tasteless vodka – think overwhelming caramel, oak or smoke – while plenty of vodkas are full of flavour, such as <a href="http://konikstail.com" title="">Konik’s Tail</a>, a Polish vodka made with a blend of three grains; <a href="http://www.vestalvodka.com" title="">Vestal’s</a> creamy potato vodkas; or <a href="http://www.chopinvodka.com" title="">Chopin</a>, made with rye, which has a slightly spicy, vanilla taste.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/sep/23/prefer-shot-of-vodka-to-a-wee-dram-whisky-uk-sales">Continue reading...</a>SpiritsWhiskyFood & drinkLife and styleTue, 23 Sep 2014 17:07:54 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/sep/23/prefer-shot-of-vodka-to-a-wee-dram-whisky-uk-salesPhotograph: AlamyRussian vodkas: the UK now buys 44.6m litres of vodka a year. Photograph: AlamyPhotograph: AlamyRussian vodkas: the UK now buys 44.6m litres of vodka a year. Photograph: AlamyRebecca Seal2014-09-23T17:07:54ZHow to mix the perfect old fashionedhttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/jul/17/how-to-mix-perfect-old-fashioned-cocktail
Is this potent drink simply sublime, or do you prefer a fancier cocktail? Do you use bourbon, rye or scotch; is fruit sacrilege; and where do you stand on water and ice?<p>The old fashioned has been the old-fashioned way to make a cocktail for about 130 years, during which time it has been in and out of fashion – its current resurgence seems almost entirely attributable to its popularity with <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/dining/the-old-fashioned-don-drapers-cocktail-of-choice.html" title="">Mad Men's dreamy Don Draper</a>, who is rarely without one in his dapper hand as he swings his way through the 60s.</p><p>The no-nonsense counterpart to all those tediously long drinks full of fizz, fancy flavours and more fruit juice than your average breakfast bar, the old fashioned is that rare thing: a cocktail that actually tastes of booze. It is a drink that goes down as well before dinner as after it; one that you've almost always got the ingredients for; and which packs just enough punch that one is, sensibly, enough. (Though, unlike a martini, two is rarely too many.)</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/jul/17/how-to-mix-perfect-old-fashioned-cocktail">Continue reading...</a>CocktailsWhiskyAmerican food and drinkFood & drinkLife and styleThu, 17 Jul 2014 05:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/jul/17/how-to-mix-perfect-old-fashioned-cocktailPhotograph: Felicity Cloake/GuardianThe perfect old fashioned. Photographs: Felicity Cloake for the GuardianPhotograph: Felicity Cloake/GuardianThe perfect old fashioned. Photographs: Felicity Cloake for the GuardianFelicity Cloake2014-07-17T05:00:00ZCooking with whisky: great ingredient or waste of a dram?https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/sep/27/cooking-whisky-great-ingredient-waste-dram
Chefs are increasingly using whisky in cooking to enhance salty, smoky or sweet flavours. Would you cook with a single malt, or is it so precious it must be sipped?<p>As the autumn <a href="http://www.whisky.dufftown.co.uk" title="">Speyside whisky festival gets under way</a>, single malt aficionados will be flocking to the doors of the dozen or so distilleries producing one of Scotland's best-known products. They'll be nosing, tasting, imbibing, doing all the things whisky lovers do, and the purists among them would probably throw up their hands in horror at the idea of wasting a wee dram by adding it to the cooking pot.</p><p>But whisky is increasingly venturing out of the drinks cabinet and into the kitchen. The spirit is the alcoholic equivalent of salt – it brings out the flavor of the sea in seafood, the smokiness of smoked food, and the sweetness in a dessert. This is all down to its peculiar chemistry, says Rachel Barrie, master blender for Bowmore Distilleries.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/sep/27/cooking-whisky-great-ingredient-waste-dram">Continue reading...</a>WhiskySpiritsFood & drinkLife and styleFri, 27 Sep 2013 11:30:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/sep/27/cooking-whisky-great-ingredient-waste-dramPhotograph: Sarah Lee/GuardianWhisky with your breakfast porridge? Photograph: Sarah Lee for the GuardianPhotograph: Sarah Lee/GuardianWhisky with your breakfast porridge? Photograph: Sarah Lee for the GuardianLizzie Enfield2013-09-27T11:30:08ZFlavoured whiskies: sweet water of lifehttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/may/02/flavoured-whiskies-sweet-water-of-life
Have you tried any of the newfangled flavoured whiskies drifting over from the USA?<p>Jim Beam Honey's UK launch party, held in London last Thursday night, was not the standard affair for whiskies. Held in a hive-shaped tent, <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/JimBeamHoney/status/195569802625040384/photo/1">trapeze artists swung overhead</a> as bartenders dressed as beekeepers served cocktails. Do you know, I think I even heard some popular music. Don't ask me to name the track, though.</p><p>In case you're not as on-trend as I clearly am, flavoured whiskies are currently proving <a href="http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2011/03/new_spirit_jack_daniels_tennessee_honey_liqueur.php">a bit of a hit</a>. Distillers in the US, seemingly less encumbered by tradition and regulations than their counterparts in Scotland, are <a href="http://www.bourbonblog.com/blog/2011/12/15/red-stag-new-releases-honey-tea-and-cinnamon-spiced-reviews/">mostly responsible</a> for the craze. The launch of <a href="http://www.jimbeam.com/red-stag">Jim Beam Red Stag</a> a black cherry-infused version of the familiar bourbon, arguably took things mainstream in 2009.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/may/02/flavoured-whiskies-sweet-water-of-life">Continue reading...</a>WhiskyFood & drinkLife and styleWed, 02 May 2012 08:45:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/may/02/flavoured-whiskies-sweet-water-of-lifePhotograph: PRA bartender dressed as a beekeeper at the Jim Beam Honey launch partyPhotograph: PRA bartender dressed as a beekeeper at the Jim Beam Honey launch partyChris Mercer2012-05-02T08:45:00ZA tour of the world - in whiskyhttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/dec/30/tour-of-the-world-in-whisky
It's been a good year for scotch, but Scottish distillers can't rest on their laurels - they have serious competition from some far-flung places<p>There's never a more fitting time to think about whisky than when the new year is marching up the garden path, and for most people whisky means scotch. But while exports from Scotland have broken records in 2011 (the equivalent of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/sep/12/scotch-whisky-exports-up">570m bottles waved a tearful farewell at the docks</a> in the first half of the year alone and there's even been <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/dec/02/scotch-whisky-export-sales-asia-shortage">talk of a possible shortage</a> as a result) the industry can't afford to be complacent. </p><p>While there's plenty of financial motivation for unscrupulous distillers to attempt to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/14/boston-industrial-estate-explosion-alcohol">pass off substandard spirits</a> as scotch, it's the whiskies produced around the world in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_whisky#Style">style of scotch</a>, yet which don't claim to be scotch, that ought to keep the industry on its toes.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/dec/30/tour-of-the-world-in-whisky">Continue reading...</a>New yearWhiskyFood & drinkLife and styleFri, 30 Dec 2011 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/dec/30/tour-of-the-world-in-whiskyPhotograph: David Cheskin/PAA few scotch whiskies on display at the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh. Photograph: David Cheskin/PAPhotograph: David Cheskin/PAA few scotch whiskies on display at the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh. Photograph: David Cheskin/PARick Peters2011-12-30T10:00:00ZSupermarket whisky warshttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/nov/22/supermarket-whisky-wars
The latest supermarket price war is a skirmish with scotch. Will a 40 year old single malt at a knock-down price tempt you through Aldi's doors?<p>First it was champagne, then lobster, now it looks as if single malt whisky is the latest weapon in the supermarkets' battle to get our Christmas trade. Aldi's announcement this week, two weeks before it actually hits the shops on December 8th, that they will be selling a 40 year old single malt for an "unbelievable" £49.99 instead of the £300 they claim the bottle is worth should have the punters queuing at the door. </p><p>There's a snag. (Of course there's a snag.) Which is that there are only 3,000 bottles which, given Aldi's 450 stores, works out at 6 or 7 bottles a branch, assuming they allocate the same amount to Castle Bromwich as they do to Catford. Although anyone lucky enough to grab one could probably make a killing on eBay. As <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/sep/20/worlds-most-expensive-whisky-dalmore-62">I've mentioned before</a>, there's nothing whisky geeks like more than a limited bottling.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/nov/22/supermarket-whisky-wars">Continue reading...</a>WhiskyFood & drinkLife and styleSupermarketsSaving moneyConsumer affairsMoneyScotlandTue, 22 Nov 2011 11:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/nov/22/supermarket-whisky-warsPhotograph: PRGlenbridge 40 year old single malt scotch whisky, to be sold at Aldi for £40 a bottle.Photograph: PRGlenbridge 40 year old single malt scotch whisky, to be sold at Aldi for £40 a bottle.Fiona Beckett2011-11-22T11:00:00ZThe world's most expensive whisky: Dalmore 62https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/sep/20/worlds-most-expensive-whisky-dalmore-62
A bottle of Dalmore 62 scotch whisky has been bought for a new world record of £125,000, but even at that price it looks like a good investment<p>It's well known that scotch whisky, as well as being a fine drink, holds <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/oct/14/whyte-mackay-malt-record-price">increasing allure as an investment</a>, and the value is steadily rising. This fact was brought home with news yesterday that a bottle of whisky has <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b4faa324-e07f-11e0-bd01-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1YUT3UuRr">just been bought for £125,000</a>, the highest price ever paid for a standard bottle of scotch.</p><p>Of course with extravagant bonuses still sloshing around the banking world that kind of money is peanuts to some, but to spend it on one bottle? You could pick up a Porsche for that and still have change for a night out at <a href="http://www.boujis.com/">Boujis</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/sep/20/worlds-most-expensive-whisky-dalmore-62">Continue reading...</a>WhiskyFood & drinkLife and styleTue, 20 Sep 2011 12:10:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/sep/20/worlds-most-expensive-whisky-dalmore-62Photograph: PRThe world's most expensive whisky: a bottle of Dalmore 62 on sale at Singapore Airport with a $250,000 (£125,000) price tag.Photograph: PRThe world's most expensive whisky: a bottle of Dalmore 62 on sale at Singapore Airport with a $250,000 (£125,000) price tag.Fiona Beckett2011-09-20T12:10:00ZIrish whiskey: the spirit of St Patrickhttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/mar/16/irish-whiskey-st-patricks-day
So St Patrick was born in Scotland and Ireland is the original home of whisky? Felicity Cloake investigates. Will you be raising a glass for St Patrick's Day?<p>Go into any pub this St Patrick's day, and you'd be forgiven for thinking the scourge of Ireland's snakes was born in St James' Gate, so cannily has a certain Dublin brewery leaped on the emerald green bandwagon with shamrock bunting, shameless hats and merchandising. Despite its considerable clout at the pumps, Guinness is not the <a href="http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/osaka-brewers-stout-named-worlds-best-in-british-contest">only stout</a> in the world though – and stout, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/mar/12/beer-stout-review">as pleasing as it is</a>, is emphatically not the only Irish drink worth toasting old Pádraig with, on this or any other day.</p><p>If Ireland's cornered the market in beer as black as a boot, Scotland – the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ireland/5005127/St-Patricks-Day-Top-10-facts.html">likely birthplace</a> of yer man Patrick, as it happens – has established a near monopoly on uisce beatha; they traded a saint for a holy spirit, and seem to have got themselves a bit of a bargain. The scotch whisky market is worth £4bn a year, the Irish one considerably less but, after decades in the doldrums, it is at last rallying: exports were up 30% last year.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/mar/16/irish-whiskey-st-patricks-day">Continue reading...</a>WhiskyFood & drinkLife and styleIreland holidaysSt Patrick's DayIrish food and drinkWed, 16 Mar 2011 09:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/mar/16/irish-whiskey-st-patricks-dayPhotograph: PRBushmills Irish whiskey.Photograph: PRBushmills Irish whiskey.Felicity Cloake2011-03-16T09:30:00ZBuying whisky for Hogmanayhttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/dec/31/how-buy-scotch-whisky-present
Do you find the wide variety of scotch available bewildering? Here are a few hints and tips to help you find what you're looking for<p>If you're not a regular whisky drinker you might be forgiven for thinking that the world of scotch is forever one of side whiskers, wing-backed leather armchairs and the occasional impossibly rugged Aran sweater. And to some extent you'd be right, because that's the image that the industry has worked hard to convey for a long time. When a couple of cases of scotch were <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/aug/13/whisky-antarctic-shackleton">discovered buried in the permafrost outside Shackleton's hut</a> in Antarctica earlier this year, the story was manna for the industry and a source of genuine excitement for whisky lovers.</p><p>Times are changing - distillers, blenders and marketing executives are coming up with all kinds of cunning plans to refine and refresh their products' unique selling points. But this means choosing a whisky to warm a loved one's Hogmanay isn't getting any easier as there a wider range of interesting whiskies on the market.<br>If you're an inexperienced buyer who wants to track down something special for a New Year dram, how might you go about it? (I'm limiting this to Scotch for simplicity's sake - if anyone wants to chip in on Irish, American or any others please do).</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/dec/31/how-buy-scotch-whisky-present">Continue reading...</a>New yearWhiskyFood & drinkLife and styleThu, 30 Dec 2010 16:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/dec/31/how-buy-scotch-whisky-presentPhotograph: Murdo Macleod/GuardianRolling out the barrel at Caol Ila distillery, Islay. Photograph: Murdo Macleod for the GuardianPhotograph: Murdo Macleod/GuardianRolling out the barrel at Caol Ila distillery, Islay. Photograph: Murdo Macleod for the GuardianRick Peters2010-12-30T16:00:00ZCan old whisky rejuvenate scotch?https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/jul/31/scotch-whisky-vintage-glenfiddich-50
Glenfiddich's release of a 50 year old whisky is undoubtedly an exercise in indulgence, but it may also be the way to ensure the survival of scotch<p>The first smell is of citrus; grapefruit, to be exact. The next is a floral note that those more expert than I identify as rose petals, and finally there is a hint of green tobacco. It has a fresh, clean aroma that is matched by my first sip, which reveals more citrus, traces of soft vanilla, caramel and even a little smoke.</p><p>It is easily the finest whisky I have ever tasted, but then it should be. The tiny amount of golden liquid I have been allowed to sample, which barely covers the bottom of a commemorative glass, would probably cost £500 in the unlikely event that I were ever to find it in a bar. If you want to buy a whole bottle of it, it's yours for a mere £10,000.<br>This whisky in question is The <a href="http://www.glenfiddich.com/lda.html?redirect=/index.html">Glenfiddich</a> 50 Year Old, an extremely limited release of 450 bottles which will be sold at the measly rate of 50 a year to those whose lives will not be complete without a bottle of scotch costing more than double the amount I have ever paid for a car.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/jul/31/scotch-whisky-vintage-glenfiddich-50">Continue reading...</a>Food & drinkLife and styleBusinessWhiskyFri, 31 Jul 2009 08:45:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/jul/31/scotch-whisky-vintage-glenfiddich-50Photograph: John Paul/PRWorkers at the Glenfiddich distillery enjoy one of the perks of the job at the launch of The 50 Year Old. Photograph: John Paul/PRPhotograph: John Paul/PRWorkers at the Glenfiddich distillery enjoy one of the perks of the job at the launch of The 50 Year Old. Photograph: John Paul/PRSimon Majumdar2009-07-31T08:45:00ZTrebles all roundhttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2007/dec/31/treblesallround
What will you be drinking to toast the new year?<p><br>A variety of Scotland's finest. Photograph: David Cheskin/PA</p><p>New Year's Eve is upon us, with its attendant chains of swaying revellers linking arms and slurring their way through Auld Lang Syne. But spare a thought for the makers of <a href="http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk">scotch whiskies</a>, the sales of which have been in decline in Britain for the past decade. </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2007/dec/31/treblesallround">Continue reading...</a>Food & drinkLife and styleWhiskyMon, 31 Dec 2007 10:15:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2007/dec/31/treblesallroundRick Peters2007-12-31T10:15:00Z